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Pope Leo XIV commemorated the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea on Thursday in the Turkish city historically known as the birthplace of the Nicene Creed, calling Christians to overcome “the scandal of divisions” and to renew their commitment to unity.
The first ecumenical council, known as the Council of Nicaea, is still accepted as authoritative by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, and many Protestants.
Pope Leo XIV has called on Christians to move beyond “theological controversies” that no longer serve the cause of unity and to rediscover together the faith professed at the Council of Nicaea 1,700 years ago.
The pope spoke at the symposium “Nicaea and the Church of the Third Millennium: Towards Catholic-Orthodox Unity,” which took place this week at the Pontifical University of Saint Thomas Aquinas in Rome.
The International Theological Commission has published “Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior: The 1,700th Anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea.”
“The proclamation of the common faith requires, first of all, that we love one another,” the Holy Father said in a Feb. 6 audience with Oriental Orthodox priests and monks.
Pope Francis highlighted the upcoming anniversaries of two major events in Church history as moments that can help Christians seek unity.